T H E F O R T N I G H T LY N E W S L E T T E R F R O M G A L S T O N H I G H S C H O O L 2 0 1 8 T E R M 1 W E E K 2

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE AND INSPIRING SUCCESSWe celebrate our 2017 HSC High Achievers

Regularly at assemblies, as well as in the Grapevine, we talk about our students Achieving Excellence and Inspiring Success. On Tuesday 6th February, our assembly exemplified this statement with the return of our Year 12 2017 High Achievers. For many of our current senior students, it was a reminder to them of how close they are to fulfilling their HSC ambitions and for them it was an inspiration to see and speak to these high achievers.There were 4 types of High Achiever awards presented at this assembly:Dux of year – the recipient of this award is the student who achieves the highest ATAR score in the year groupDistinguished achiever – the recipients of these awards are to the student/s who achieve an ATAR score of 90 or aboveBand 6 – the recipients of these awards are the Student/s who receives a band 6 in any subject.Outstanding Achievement for Intech/ArtExpress/Encore selection – the recipients of this award are selected to have their major works at a state wide presentation for Industrial Arts and or Visual ArtsAward recipients were:Bo ReynoldsDux 2017 Distinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Mathematic Extension 1Band 6 - Mathematic Extension 2Kianna MunroAcademic All RounderOutstanding Achievement for EncoreDistinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - BiologyBand 6 - English (Advanced)Band 6 - English Extension 1Band 6 - English Extension 2Band 6 - Music 1Band 6 - Visual ArtsChloe Skewes-Weir Distinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Business StudiesBand 6 - English (Advanced)Band 6 - English Extension 1Band 6 - English Extension 2Band 6 – PDHPEChloe MorrisbyDistinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Ancient HistoryBand 6 - Mathematics General 2Claire Byrne Distinguished All Round Academic

AchievementBand 6 - English (Advanced)Band 6 - Mathematics General 2Band 6 – PDHPEFiona MacphersonOutstanding Achievement for ArtExpress selectionDistinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Music 1Band 6 - Senior ScienceBand 6 - Visual ArtsMatthew MoodyOutstanding Achievement for IntechDistinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Music 1Amanda TodmanDistinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Music 1Band 6 - Senior ScienceTaylah MassinghamDistinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Mathematics General 2Band 6 – PDHPENicolas ZuvelaDistinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Mathematics General 2Rae BortonDistinguished All Round Academic AchievementBand 6 - Visual Arts

Unfortunately Bo Reynolds, 2017 Dux could not be with us on the day as she had already started university and the leadership commitments with the scholarship she received from Sydney University. Bo is studying Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Civil, Dalyell).

Three of our high Achievers addressed the assembly in relation to how they achieved great results, but how they had all done it in their “own way”.

Our 3 high achievers who made this presentation were:

Kianna Munro who is taking a Gap year to study photography at TAFE and start her own freelance photography business and travel, She has accepted and deferred two courses for next year and will decide closer to the date. They are: Bachelor of Arts with a Bachelor of Applied Leadership and Critical thinking at Western Sydney University or Bachelor of Communication (Social and Political Sciences) and a bachelor of Creative Intelligence and innovation at UTS.

Chloe Morrisby is about to commence a Bachelor of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at the University of Technology Sydney.

Chloe Skewes-Weir is about to commence a Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Law at Macquarie University. She is working as a personal trainer this year having achieved both the Cert 3 and 4 in fitness throughout Year 11 and early Year 12. She is also an up and coming junior runner in both state and national distance events on the road and track, training full time with an elite coach and his team.

High Achievers SpeechChloe Skewes-WeirGood morning staff and students. My name is Chloe Skewes-Weir and I’m joined by Kianna Munro and Chloe Morrisby. We are graduates of the Galston High’s class of 2017, and are here today to share some things we have learnt during our HSC. Collectively, we completed Advanced English, Extension 1 English, Extension 2 English, General Maths, 2 unit maths, Ancient History, Extension history, Music, Business, Art, PDHPE and Legal studies. We hope that our experiences can provide you all some confidence to embrace the HSC and life beyond the gates of Galston High School.

For me, the setting of goals, although cliché, were the foundation to my HSC experience. I know that the same goal setting process does not work for everybody, and I encourage you to find your own framework for success. In saying this, however, goals give direction to the grind, and ownership of them gives purpose to the struggle and frustration. It doesn’t matter whether you are wanting to head to uni, study at TAFE, get full time employment or take a gap year, goals will get you to the outcome you desire. Personally, I set my major goals under a three tier system; think of it as a pyramid. The lowest level was an ATAR over 88, the next an ATAR over 90, and the highest an altar of 95+. This provided a buffer to disappointment, accounting for NESA’s bizarre mark modification and ensured my determinant of success wasn’t dependent on something out of my control. However, the ATAR gods

High Achievers’ Assembly (cont’d)...

prevailed, and I am happy to say that I achieved the highest tier of my goal pyramid. Beyond this, I also found that setting outcomes separate from the dreaded ATAR provided greater purpose to the entire HSC process. For me, this looked like acceptance into my goal course (Double degree of Arts/Law at Macquarie Uni) and also an Extension 2 English major work I was intensely proud. Once I established these as the core focus for my year, I set about working towards them. There’s no hacks to the process, other than consistent effort where it’s due. I was also grateful that I achieved these outcomes before the final push, thus providing me confidence to tackle the unknown papers waiting beyond the door of the exam room. Also, if you only take one thing from my speech today, I encourage you to cease the small and seemingly pointless opportunities. Too often these pathways are unknown and unacknowledged; a golden ticket in disguise. When the early entry scheme opened, I bit the bullet and applied via the school recommendation scheme, although doubting I would get early admission into a competitive course like Law. Much to my surprise, an email popped up in my inbox a few months later granting me an unconditional offer. The boring 15 minute application eventuated as my golden ticket, significantly easing the burden whilst others were incapacitated by exam stress. As for my Extension 2 English major work, the main theme was consistency. The uphill grind of endless researching, drafting and editing was eased by keeping my larger outcome in perspective. Each day I opened the Major work file on my laptop, I set the small task of leaving it better than it was yesterday. Another cliché, but that simple mantra is what I owe my 50/50 and state top 20 ranking in extension 2 English (because hard work beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard). Ultimately, I found the setting of goals for the HSC essential to providing greater perspective on the process; they are the foundation to success, provide direction to the grind, and ensure your experience is best you could’ve achieved in your situation. I’m not saying you need to stick posted

notes with 99.95 on your bathroom mirror, but if you do one thing to prepare for the HSC and beyond, establish the outcomes you truly want and set your goals both big and small. Everybody says the HSC is a marathon, but realistically its only a 2 year block that passes as quickly as it arrives. And from personal experience, the HSC is far easier than running a marathon.

Chloe MorrisbyOnce your goals have been established, it is crucial that you devise your own method of combating the HSC. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to studying and it is important to recognise and account for this. Personally, I acknowledged that I was incapable of setting and meeting rigid study and assignment schedules. As a result, I established more relaxed and flexible deadlines that I aimed to meet each week. This could include priority lists of the assignments due and approximating how long it would take to perform each task. In terms of studying in the lead up to the HSC, I found this method extremely useful. A lot of students choose to divide their time in a per subject, per hour manner, however I found that this method encouraged procrastination. Instead, establishing small deadlines, such as completing two past papers a day in the lead up or revising notes from a certain topic, allowed me to complete everything I wanted to accomplish in preparation and overall maximised my study time efficiently. Furthermore, I would like to pass on some of the study methods I utilised throughout Year 11 and 12. Ultimately the HSC is a game of memory retention, the more you remember the better you’ll do. Methods such as devising palm cards for each subject will assist in memorising key and crucial points that the HSC markers look for. Acronyms are also a huge factor in improving your memory retention of certain topics, by simplifying complex points which will allow you to easily recall key ideas. The last point I would like to impress, is the importance of the holidays before the HSC starts. Those holidays mark approximately 3 weeks until your first

exam and if utilised efficiently and wisely, can be the difference between exceeding and falling short of your own expectations. Therefore, I would strongly recommend that each and every person fully maximise that short period of time as it can result in a great outcome.

Kianna MunroAn important part of my HSC year and a principle that I have taken onto my past HSC life is balance. It was essential in the high stress and pressure of the HSC in order to clear some mental room and energy to be able to achieve goals and reach deadlines with my sanity intact. For me, my HSC was about embracing all that the year had to offer and juicing as much life out of it as possible, without compromising on academia. Balance is something you have to consciously create, in my case it was knowing what I enjoy and putting my spare time into that. This was things like the musical and prefect duties. In turn, I had to use my study time efficiently because my other commitments took time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Keeping organised and managing my time properly was the most important thing during my HSC, I made a strict schedule and stuck to it. Choosing what I enjoy was fundamental to my mentality in approaching decisions on subjects, my experience is a testament to what I'm sure you've all heard a million times that, good marks will stem from what you enjoy. Having practical major works like music and art allowed me some diversity in studying which helped me achieve a balanced HSC period. I always prioritised study but within my studying, I didn't compromise on social events, I just dedicated hours of study in between things that I wanted to do. Honestly nothing beats knuckling down in the hours you set aside for studying so that you can have guilt free breaks. Ultimately, HSC is a game played best with revision, self determination and balance. It was a journey that has definitely passed in the blink of an eye, teaching me that dedication and hard work can and will pay off. This year will help define you,

High Achievers’ Assembly (cont’d)...

in the way you approach life, growing your relationships with friends and teachers. Although a disappointing ATAR is not the end of the world, if you apply yourself, you have every ability to achieve your goals and end these 12 years of education on a high note. I wish you all the luck in your studies and futures, and I hope you accomplish all the dreams and goals you desire no matter how big or small, Thank you.

High Achievers’ Assembly (cont’d)...

Principal’s SpeechGood morning everyone. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of this land and to pay my respects to elders both past and present, and to those present here today.

It is my very great pleasure to welcome our parents, families, staff and students to today’s High Achiever’s Assembly for the 2017 Higher School Certificate. A very special welcome back to our class of 2017 – we are delighted that you could take time out from your hectic schedules to be here today.

Whilst we hold this Recognition Ceremony today in honour of those students who have achieved extraordinary results across the full range of HSC subjects, we also wish to publicly acknowledge to our students, parents and school community, how very proud we are of the outstanding achievements of the entire 2017 Year 12 cohort at the Higher School Certificate.

Over the past six years at Galston High School these students have contributed significantly to school life and we thank them for the way in which they embodied the school’s values of Respect, Responsibility and Personal Best. They have worked diligently to realise many different leadership, social, and community initiatives as well achieving academic excellence at the HSC.

Although we regard the HSC as only one measure of a graduate’s success, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our teaching staff for their dedication, expertise and outstanding work with our senior students.

As educators, the teachers of Galston High School are privileged to work with some very exceptional young people. The Class of 2017 was able to maintain a high level of academic performance whilst balancing busy schedules of extracurricular activities, part-time employment and for some, a busy social life.

Highlights of the 2017 HSC include:

Five students achieving an ATAR above 90Bo ReynoldsChloe MorrisbyKianna MunroChloe Skewes-WeirClaire Byrne

Dux of the School, Bo Reynolds, achieved an ATAR of 96.3.

20% of students scored at least one Band 6 (mark of 90 or higher) across thirteen different subjects placing them on the BOSTES Distinguished Achievers List.

13% of students gained a Band 6 in two or more subjects.

52% of students scored at least one subject above 80 marks (Band 5 or higher).

Overall GHS achieved 32 Band 6/E4 results and 74 Band 5 results.

Sixteen subjects scored overall results at or above the state average.

79% of all courses completed resulted in an HSC mark in the top two performance bands.

Galston High School placed in the top 200 schools at 174

Galston High School placed 24th out of all government comprehensive high schools across the state.

Galston HS named as one of the top performing schools in English – placed first overall out of all government comprehensive co-educational high schools.

Galston listed 10th by the SMH as one of Biggest Improvers in the HSC over the past two years.

Galston High School named as performing “very highly above average” for its socio- economic background when compared against other state high schools in Sydney Quote - GHS is “punching above its weight”.

Chloe Skewes-Weir scored a perfect mark of 50/50 for Extension 2 EnglishFiona Macpherson’s Visual Arts Body of Work was preselected for exhibition in ArtExpress.

Matt Moody’s major work for Industrial Technology has been selected for Exhibition in Intech at the Woodworkers show at Homebush.

Kianna Munro’s Music 1 composition selected for Encore.

These results continue to be important benchmarks indicating the broad strength of our curriculum offerings at Galston High School. They also reflect many hours of study and preparation on the part of the students, dedication to excellence in the classroom by their teachers and the support and love of their families.

These outstanding results once again placed Galston HS ahead of many of the non-government schools and government schools in our local area including William Clarke, Gilroy, Marian, St Leo’s and Rouse Hill Anglican Colleges which is an amazing achievement for a fully comprehensive coeducational high school.

It is to be remembered, however, that HSC statistics only tell part of the educational passage that students undergo throughout their years at our school. It is important to remember the development of character, citizenship, creative thinking and confidence, the formation of lifelong friendships, participation in the creative and performing arts and undertaking leadership roles. All of these traits prepare our students to be the future leaders of our community.

Upcoming Events

Week 1 2018

Sunday 11 FebruaryGold D of E

Monday 12 FebruaryGold D of E

Tuesday 13 FebruaryGold D of E

Wednesday 14 FebruaryGold D of EYear 10 Assessment Information Evening 6.00pmYear 11 Assessment Information Evening 7.30pmYear 12 fundraiaser for Valentine’s Day

Thursday 15 FebruaryGold D of ESenior Boys & Girls Tennis Trials

Friday 16 FebruaryGold d of ELions Club YOTY interviews Normanhurst Boys HS

Next Week

Monday 19 FebruaryChinese Tour GroupLyons Club YOTY 6.15pm Normanhurst Boys HS

Tuesday 20 FebruaryChinese Tour GroupP&C MeetingSRC Induction Ceremony

Wednesday 21 FebruaryChinese Tour GroupSchool Photos

Thursday 22 February Chinese Tour GroupMeet the Music 6.30pmMeet the Music 3.00pm - 11.50pm

Friday 23 FebruaryChinese Tour Group

Still to come

Monday 26 FebruaryYear 12 Construction Work PlacementZone Swimming Carnival

Tuesday 27 FebruaryYear 12 Construction Work PlacementSchool Photos Catch up

Wednesday 28 FebruaryYear 12 Construction Work PlacementOpen DayBoys & Girls Volleyball Trials

Thursday 1 MarchYear 12 Construction Work Placement

Friday 2 MarchYear 12 Construction Work Placement

Sunday 4 MarchLeadership Camp

Homework Club

Homework Club operates every Wednesday afternoon from 3.30 - 4.30pm.

Students can receive help from teaching staff with homework and assessment tasks, or simply utilise the Library computers and wifi to complete their work.

WADDELL CAFE

GALSTON HIGH SCHOOL

INTRODUCING

THE

ULTIMATE PLACE TO RELAX

EXCLUSIVELY FOR STAFF, SENIOR STUDENTS & PARENTS Operated by y ear 10 students & staff

NOW OPEN EVERY TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY

DURING SCHOOL TERM

9:00 AM - 1:30 PM

LOCATED IN THE ADMINISTRATION BLOCK

VISIT & HAVE A COFFEE WITH US

Swimming Carnival Highlights...

The swimming carnival was held at Hawkesbury Oasis Aquatic Centre, Windsor, on 7th February 2018. The weather was perfect, with warm temperatures and blue skies encouraging students to enter the water. Many Year 12 students took advantage of the fact that this was their last carnival and were very creative with their costumes and blow up pool toys. Well done to all participants and congratulations to the following age champions:

GIRLS BOYS 12yrs: Lily Farrow Jesse Burton 13yrs: Ella Franklin Jordan Harkins 14yrs: Chloe Loria Kristian Altea 15yrs: Emma Johnson Ben Jeffrey 16yrs: Chloe Anjoul Samuel Loria 17yrs+ Danielle Cook Michael Ferlauto

2018 Records

Congratulations to the following record breakers; Emma Johnson15yrs Butterfly New record 32.39Old record 32.71 by Kate Bellamy in 1999 200m freestyleNew record 2.27.67Old record 2.28.16 by Ashley Edwards in 2002 Sam Loria100m freestyleNew record 56.90Old record 58.51 by Harry Trethowan in 2015

200m freestyle New record 2.08.17Old record 2.15.48 by Harry Trethowan

House ResultsKnights – 522Vikings – 487Samurai – 461Spartans - 361

Swimming Carnival Highlights (cont’d)....

The P&C are looking for a Treasurer for 2018.

Treasurer's Role - this role would require someone with knowledge of MYOB. Our MYOB is on the cloud, so a number of the processes can be carried out at home. Visits to the school would be required to collect some invoices which come in by post or with deliveries. Full support is provided by other members of the P&C together with full training. This role can be filled by someone who doesn't have children at the school but is interested in volunteering their time.

The P&C is made up of enthusiastic mums and dads, and its a great way of keeping up to date with whats happening at school. Research shows that mums and dads involved with their school have more successful children - so that's a great reason to come along!

If you are interested this role, or just want to attend, our meetings are the third Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm in the Waddell Learning Centre.

If you want to chat further about the roles above, please call Diana on 0408 011 193

Proudly supported by

Treasurer Needed for the P&C

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JUNIOR 9 – 12 yrs

YOUTH 13 – 17 yrs

GIRLS COMP

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COME AND PLAY NETBALLAll ages 6 years to adult.

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Claim your $100 Discount on Registration Fees per child in 2018 (See more details at: www.sport.nsw.gov.au/sectordevelopment/activekidsFollow facebook for more details @thegalstonnetballclub

FREE LIVE ONLINE INFORMATION SESSION FOR Galston High School STUDENTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE IN 2018

Student Exchange Australia New Zealand is a not-for-profit organisation that is registered with all state and territory Departments of Education around Australia and with the Ministry of Education in NZ. We are the first and only secondary exchange organisation in Australia and New Zealand to be certified to ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) and we ensure the highest standards of care and support to our participants. We would like to invite your students and families to our FREE Live Online Sessions on Thursday, 15th February at 7.30pm (AEST). The LIVE Online session gives students and families the opportunity to learn more about becoming an exchange student and the various scholarship options that are available in 2018. Students can find out more about our exchange programs to over 25 countries, listen to former exchange students share their experience and learn about our scholarships and discounts on offer in 2018. Please note that the deadline for Scholarship and Early Bird Discount applications is 31st March for programs departing between October 2018 - March 2019. Please be aware that we now offer 14 partial scholarships each year for semester and year applicants. See our website for more information. “You come back a different person, with so much more confidence & you feel that you can conquer the world” Jessica, Semester Program to Italy

FREE LIVE ONLINE INFORMATION SESSION Hear from our very experienced, National Director, find out more about discounts and scholarships available and ask questions.

Thursday, 15th February at 7.30pm

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Visit [studentexchange.org.nz]www.studentexchange.org.nz

or call 0800 440 079 for more information